Janina – Groove Podcast 208

For most people, Berlin’s Club der Visionäre is the place where they once lost their wallet after 40+ hours of raving, but for Janina it is far more than that. Starting her resident there when she was still a teenager, the DJ was one of the key figures next to residents like Binh that shaped its sound. She has since moved on and now holds three different residencies – one at the infamous Tresor, one at the Unusual Suspects series on Ibiza and one at the E1 club in her new home town, London. That’s not everything though, because Janina is now preparing to make her debut as a producer and label owner. Her contribution to our Groove podcast navigates between new and old techno favourites.

You started your careeer at Berlin’s Club der Visionäre and in the meanwhile took up a residency at Tresor, the Unusual Suspects at Ibiza’s Sankeys and, recently, E1 in London. Why three residencies at the same time?
All of these clubs offered me a Residency, which I am very grateful for. Ibiza, at Unusual Suspects, where I have already been on board since the beginning, became one of my most important residencies as they are supporting me as much as they can. We also became very close friends over the last years and this makes us even more stronger as a team. Tresor is the perfect residency for me in my hometown Berlin, I can play there whatever I want. In the last three years I built up my nights there very well thanks to the support from Diana [Alagic, booker] and her team. Since I live in London now, I became a resident of E1 and I’m very looking forward to the future with them. Berlin, London and Ibiza are the cities where I kind of live, I switch between them all the time. During the summer I spend more time in Ibiza, during the winter in between London and Berlin.

What does a good resident have to bring to the table?
A good resident should definitely know how to play an opening set!

In a recent Instagram post, you were talking about preparations for five different sets, amongst them your mix for Groove. How exactly do you prepare for your club sets?
Usually I start around Tuesday or Wednesday to prepare everything for the weekend. First I go shopping at record shops, listen to the records at home and select them. It takes a whole day for me. The next day I organize all my digital music. I listen to new promos and am downloading music. I organise them all in a folder on my USB. Also this takes a whole day! Thursday I am done with my preparation and I have time for myself to save my energy for the weekend.

And what’s important for you when record DJ mixes?
I think you should present yourself either how you play at the moment or the music you like to listen to. In my opinion it’s difficult to find the perfect track list for one hour, so I try to follow my heart, and not mind what’s important for me, or otherwise I might get a bit stressed.

What was the idea behind you Groove mix, then?
The idea is to show how I play. I mixed new and old music which I really like to play at the moment. It’s difficult to record a mix, it can take weeks. As a mix stays around forever, I try my best to ensure that even I can listen to it in four years or so. It’s not perfectly mixed I have to say, but I started to play and immediately every track I chose was matching perfectly with the other track. So I decided to keep going on, which is in the end more important for me, to have an organic and authentic set rather than mixing flawlessly.

In 2019, you want to start your own label. What can we expect from it?
The label is already in process. I will release music from different artists, but also my own music.

You are in fact making music. What are your plans as a producer?
Yes, I make music and I will release some of it on my label. But I also have some other projects in my mind, different projects with different music.

Last but not least: Where can we see you behind the decks in the near future?
I will play at E1 with Juan Atkins on the 11th of May all night long, on the 9th of June for Ellen Alien’sWe Are Not Alone at Griessmuehle in Berlin and on the 6th of July at Kappa Future Festival in Turin, to name the biggest ones.

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